Finding your wedding style can help you narrow your budget, and it can help your vendors price items and get to know you as a couple. Setting this overarching theme and sticking to it may seem like a daunting task with all of the style ideas out there, but it is an essential step in the planning process. Follow these steps to narrow your focus and make your wedding a memorable occasion for you and your guests!
1. Dream BIG!
The initial stages are a time for you to put your fairytale dreams to work. Make a list of your dream wedding. The wedding you may have if money were no option. This stage is important because it helps you focus on what is really important. So make a list:
- Out in the elements or in a climate controlled space?
-Church or venue?
- Natural, elegant, classic, woods, beach, mountains, snow?
-Flowers or no?
- Large crowd or intimate elopement?
- Candle-lit dinner, daytime brunch, or party 'til the break of dawn?
- Spring fling, summer party, fall fairy tale, or winter wonderland?
2. Get inspired!
Using an app like Pinterest can help you gather and save your inspiration. You may also flip through wedding magazines, graze sites like Wedding Wire and The Knot, or attend a local wedding show. This stage is helpful in seeing what colors and patterns you are drawn to and can help you in the future when you go to meet your vendors for your initial consults. This step will help you hire professionals that can help you execute your big day. This step can also help you find a pattern in the images that you like or dislike and eventually you will notice this pattern developing.
3. Decide on a time and season.
This will help you determine what vibe your event will have. If you are planning a daytime event in spring, that may inspire you to have a brunch wedding with lighter fare. But an evening wedding in the fall or winter may lead you to think of a candle-lit dinner. However, remember that time may be dictated by your venue and vendors. Venues may not allow guests to stay past a certain hour or come in earlier than 10. Also, think of the guests you are going to invite. If most of the guests are not going to party until midnight, consider an early afternoon wedding.
4. Determine the formality.
Are the guests at your wedding more likely to come wearing a suit and tie or casual wear? Do you want an elegant feel or a comfortable occasion? Deciding this now will help you in setting the tone for everything from the catering style to the florals.
5. Narrow your focus.
Now it is time to pick a theme that will be simply threaded throughout your wedding. This allows you to add personality to your wedding and make it individual to you as a couple. Are you artsy? glamorous? natural? tech nerds? Is there a place or activity you both enjoy? A cultural tradition you want to honor? What will make your wedding truly YOURS?
6. Pick your colors.
In this step, you are picking a palate for your wedding that will help you maintain a theme. Do you like neutrals, brights, pastels, or jewel tones? Are you getting married in a particular place or season that leads to natural color choices? Pick 3-5 colors that will help guide your planning. Remember that colors can be woven into big items such as centerpieces, cake, outfits, but it can be in the smaller details as well from your invites to your wedding website.
7. Pick a theme.
Themes can be a play on words to a play on your favorite movies or games. Even if your theme is simply a word like glam or natural, or if you are both Game of Thrones fanatics, it will help you add in personality and narrow your focus. If you are going for glam, it will help you stay away from natural color palates, etc. However, major themes can be over done, so remember that smaller threads can make a large impact.
If you are still unsure after working through this list, you might check out the style quiz from The Knot, or this one from Wedding Wire.